18 April 2023
New Normal for Admission Exam in Outaouais
Preparing for the private school admission exam has its fair share of challenges for children as well as parents. The recent health crisis has added something extra to the equation. Brisson Legris, the firm in charge of most private and public school admission exams in Quebec, has made major changes to the way these exams are administered. They are now done online. Therefore, on the scheduled date, students have access to the admission exams on Brisson Legris’s digital platform and are monitored over Zoom. This way of doing things was first implemented in response to the 2019 pandemic.
New preparation method for private school admission exam in the Outaouais
To begin with, any child who has successfully completed Grade 5 is considered capable of taking the secondary school admission exam. As before, it is a good idea to reinforce maths and French skills acquired up to now. Logic, observation, and reasoning skills remain at the heart of a good preparation plan. Strategies on how to answer multiple-choice questions and time management are also still important.
However, since the exam is now online, it’s become essential to prepare for the technological aspect of the test as well. This means getting ready to use the exam platform and computer peripherals (e.g., the mouse), as well as knowing what to do in case of a computer failure.
When should preparation start?
When and what to prepare should be strategically planned. Strategic preparation should ideally start in September or October, after summer vacation, when the child is well rested. The most important thing is to make sure everything is fresh in the student’s mind at exam time. Regency effect is a key element of admission exam success. Children who prepare too early will feel like they are not up-to-date and that they have forgotten everything. They might then feel at a disadvantage and be more anxious.
What could be done in summer
Summer should remain a well-deserved vacation for your son or daughter. Preparation classes during the summer are often seen as punishment by children. We also advise against the use, before fall, of traditional multiple-choice exercise books offered in stores. This educational material will be a lot more useful after our admission exam preparation weekends, when the knowledge, skills, and advice acquired during our program can be used to do the exercises with more confidence.
For parents who still wish to take advantage of the summer to start preparing, here are the most useful activities to do in July and August:
- Encourage your child to share his or her worries and concerns by practicing active listening.
- Talk to your child about the various programs and private schools that exist in the Outaouais region.
- Plan fun activities that work on observation, inference, memorization, and logic. Our educational team has produced online preparation material so that your children can start familiarizing themselves with the concept of online exams. This complimentary material can be used on a voluntary basis.
In the end, helping the student gain confidence needs to remain at the centre of the preparation process.
We invite you to contact us if you wish to discuss your child’s educational journey further. It will be a pleasure to guide you in your choice of strategy.